Unpublished Fredrika Bremer Manuscripts in Stockholm

UNPUBLISHED FREDRIKA BREMER
MANUSCRIPTS IN STOCKHOLM
B Y SIGNE A . ROOTH
Fredrika Bremer is well known as a literary woman;
some eighteen of her books were printed during her life­time,
as well as many magazine articles, and four volumes
of her letters were published after her death. In addition,
the Royal Library (Kungliga Biblioteket) in Stockholm
has preserved a very fine collection of Fredrika Bremer's
manuscripts and notebooks, which provide an insight into
the readings and thoughts of this leading nineteenth-century
author. In 1915 the Royal Library bought two large packets
from a Stockholm notary, Mr. G. Ehnemark, and they are
called "Ehnemarkska Handskriftssamlingen." On their
pastel-colored covers the eleven notebooks bear Miss
Bremer's monogram imprinted on red sealing-wax. Fredrika
Bremer had the habit of jotting down favorite passages
from German, French, English and Swedish writers. She
was an avid reader and her annotations reveal that she
penetrated to the very pith and core of the books she
studied.*
These Fredrika Bremer documents show the remarkable
scope and variety of the Swedish novelist's readings.
Quotations from Geijer, Tegnér, Thorild, Bulwer, Fielding
and Harriet Martineau are included, as well as passages from
Lockhart's biography of Sir Walter Scott, whose works she
liked very much. Miss Bremer was stimulated by German
authors like Goethe, Hegel, Schiller and Luther; she quotes
passages from them and sometimes interpolates her own
critical comments. Many excerpts are of a religious nature;
for example, she read Hermann Olshausen's commentary
on the Bible with great interest. Quotations are also to be
found from G o t t in der Geschichte (1858), the work of her
contemporary friend, Baron Christian von Bunsen.
* Fredrika Bremer traveled in the United States from October 1849 to
September 1851. Her observations will provide the subject for a later
article by the author.
9
Among the French writers represented are: Michelet
(Histoire de F r a n c e ) , George Sand ( C o n s u e l o ) , Vinet,
Tocqueville and Balzac. She also wrote down some classi­cal
references, among them an aphorism by Seneca: "Every
Man (and every Woman) makes fine comments with his
eyes fixed only on his own occupation;" and one by Plato:
"Without justice, can there be sanctity?"
These heterogeneous notes were made for her personal
use, and consequently they lack sequence and systematic
order. For the most part she did not date the entries, but
often by consulting her correspondence which mentions her
readings, one can tell approximately when she was studying
the various foreign authors. Most of the passages appear to
be from the 1830's, others must be from the following three
decades of her life. Swedish scholars have, of course, in­vestigated
the collection, and in 1917 O. H. Wieselgren wrote
an article on "Nya Fredrika Bremer Papper i Kungliga
Biblioteket" (Nordisk Tidskrift för B o k och Biblioteksväsen,
Årg. IV, 1917.) At present a student in Lund is referring
to them for a dissertation on the development of Fredrika
Bremer's ideas on women's rights. Another is studying
them for Miss Bremer's religious views, and recently a
Stockholm University student investigated her social ideas.
No matter which phase of the versatile Swedish author
one is interested in, there are clues to be found in her
personal annotations. For example, Dr. Alrik Gustafson
mentions them in his three essays on "English Influences
in Fredrika Bremer." (Journal of English and Germanic
Philology, Vols. XXX-XXXII, 1931-1933.)
The major part of the Ehnemark Collection consists of
quotations, with Fredrika Bremer's views on different as­pects
of the intellectual currents of her times. There are
also included in these manuscripts the first drafts of several
original works. A one-act play entitled "Gumman" with
Mamsell Rönnqvist as heroine, as well as several short-story
fragments ("Dorothea," "En fattig mans dödsbädd,"
"En dödsstund"), and a few poems are of special interest.
A small autobiographical account casts light on Fredrika
Bremer's youth—in one paragraph she admits that she did
10
not have much tact as a child, but was lively, very courage­ous,
and not lacking in talents. In a preceding passage she
made the general observation that it is quite possible to be
known as a model of excellence, and yet lack much of that
which makes others happy and oneself loved; it is also pos­sible
to earn a rather bad reputation and yet be warmly
loved and able to give bliss to others. These passages show
her tendency toward psychological analysis and morali­zation.
In a selection written about 1830 she remarks: "Even
the smallest, most insignificant flower, if we carefully ob­serve
it, reveals before our eyes some details worthy of
admiration or interest. Thus there is scarcely any person,
however apparently humble and unimportant, who does not
possess something worthy of notice—something unusual
which no one else has in the same way." Fredrika Bremer
goes on to say that being calm—biding time—is often the
best and wisest thing to do, but that we seldom understand
this.
She states the following as a general rule: "You will
never reach the light without the firm intention of wanting
to admit that you do, even if in its brilliance you should see
yourself as still creeping on the earth like a caterpillar.
Only such a mental attitude will make you worthy to get
wings some day, to exchange that humble form for the
butterfly's, to raise yourself from the earth, and swing
yourself up into the world of light." This principle of modes­ty
was one of Fredrika Bremer's guiding maxims and,
though she reached the heights of fame, she never became
arrogant or overbearing toward others. Already when she
was in her thirties, she knew what mental attitude to take
in order to rise high in the world.
Another observation is quite revealing: "Many thinkers
light a flame for us, but it is not the sun, and a breeze can
blow it out." Fredrika Bremer supplemented her readings
with her own observations, and lit a bright torch for others
to follow, in the field of women's rights and elsewhere. More
and more admiration for Miss Bremer fills us as we see
the extent of her readings—these notebooks in Stockholm
11
show how she had conscientiously acquired a veritably
universal background by herself. She had also learned
English, French and German so well that she could fully
comprehend the prose of many leading authors writing
in these languages.
The original manuscript of the appendix to Homes of
t h e N e w World (Hemmen i d e n nya världen) is another
item in the Ehnemark Collection. Miss Bremer wrote it in
May, 1864, and it pertains to the American Civil War. In
addition, the library owns many of her letters to Per Böklin,
ranging from 1832 to 1865. It is fortunate indeed that so
many of Fredrika Bremer's personal papers have been
handed down in good condition. The handwriting is legible,
although the pages are somewhat yellowed with age. The
copybooks and letters give evidence of her literary, reli­gious,
historical, and philosophical inclinations. A fine ac­cumulation
of knowledge, her own experiences and ideas,
her depth of feeling and human sympathy enabled her to
write so well. These documents do not basically alter the
previous interpretations of Fredrika Bremer, but serve
rather to widen our personal understanding and apprecia­tion
of this Jane Austen of Sweden.
12

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UNPUBLISHED FREDRIKA BREMER
MANUSCRIPTS IN STOCKHOLM
B Y SIGNE A . ROOTH
Fredrika Bremer is well known as a literary woman;
some eighteen of her books were printed during her life­time,
as well as many magazine articles, and four volumes
of her letters were published after her death. In addition,
the Royal Library (Kungliga Biblioteket) in Stockholm
has preserved a very fine collection of Fredrika Bremer's
manuscripts and notebooks, which provide an insight into
the readings and thoughts of this leading nineteenth-century
author. In 1915 the Royal Library bought two large packets
from a Stockholm notary, Mr. G. Ehnemark, and they are
called "Ehnemarkska Handskriftssamlingen." On their
pastel-colored covers the eleven notebooks bear Miss
Bremer's monogram imprinted on red sealing-wax. Fredrika
Bremer had the habit of jotting down favorite passages
from German, French, English and Swedish writers. She
was an avid reader and her annotations reveal that she
penetrated to the very pith and core of the books she
studied.*
These Fredrika Bremer documents show the remarkable
scope and variety of the Swedish novelist's readings.
Quotations from Geijer, Tegnér, Thorild, Bulwer, Fielding
and Harriet Martineau are included, as well as passages from
Lockhart's biography of Sir Walter Scott, whose works she
liked very much. Miss Bremer was stimulated by German
authors like Goethe, Hegel, Schiller and Luther; she quotes
passages from them and sometimes interpolates her own
critical comments. Many excerpts are of a religious nature;
for example, she read Hermann Olshausen's commentary
on the Bible with great interest. Quotations are also to be
found from G o t t in der Geschichte (1858), the work of her
contemporary friend, Baron Christian von Bunsen.
* Fredrika Bremer traveled in the United States from October 1849 to
September 1851. Her observations will provide the subject for a later
article by the author.
9
Among the French writers represented are: Michelet
(Histoire de F r a n c e ) , George Sand ( C o n s u e l o ) , Vinet,
Tocqueville and Balzac. She also wrote down some classi­cal
references, among them an aphorism by Seneca: "Every
Man (and every Woman) makes fine comments with his
eyes fixed only on his own occupation;" and one by Plato:
"Without justice, can there be sanctity?"
These heterogeneous notes were made for her personal
use, and consequently they lack sequence and systematic
order. For the most part she did not date the entries, but
often by consulting her correspondence which mentions her
readings, one can tell approximately when she was studying
the various foreign authors. Most of the passages appear to
be from the 1830's, others must be from the following three
decades of her life. Swedish scholars have, of course, in­vestigated
the collection, and in 1917 O. H. Wieselgren wrote
an article on "Nya Fredrika Bremer Papper i Kungliga
Biblioteket" (Nordisk Tidskrift för B o k och Biblioteksväsen,
Årg. IV, 1917.) At present a student in Lund is referring
to them for a dissertation on the development of Fredrika
Bremer's ideas on women's rights. Another is studying
them for Miss Bremer's religious views, and recently a
Stockholm University student investigated her social ideas.
No matter which phase of the versatile Swedish author
one is interested in, there are clues to be found in her
personal annotations. For example, Dr. Alrik Gustafson
mentions them in his three essays on "English Influences
in Fredrika Bremer." (Journal of English and Germanic
Philology, Vols. XXX-XXXII, 1931-1933.)
The major part of the Ehnemark Collection consists of
quotations, with Fredrika Bremer's views on different as­pects
of the intellectual currents of her times. There are
also included in these manuscripts the first drafts of several
original works. A one-act play entitled "Gumman" with
Mamsell Rönnqvist as heroine, as well as several short-story
fragments ("Dorothea," "En fattig mans dödsbädd,"
"En dödsstund"), and a few poems are of special interest.
A small autobiographical account casts light on Fredrika
Bremer's youth—in one paragraph she admits that she did
10
not have much tact as a child, but was lively, very courage­ous,
and not lacking in talents. In a preceding passage she
made the general observation that it is quite possible to be
known as a model of excellence, and yet lack much of that
which makes others happy and oneself loved; it is also pos­sible
to earn a rather bad reputation and yet be warmly
loved and able to give bliss to others. These passages show
her tendency toward psychological analysis and morali­zation.
In a selection written about 1830 she remarks: "Even
the smallest, most insignificant flower, if we carefully ob­serve
it, reveals before our eyes some details worthy of
admiration or interest. Thus there is scarcely any person,
however apparently humble and unimportant, who does not
possess something worthy of notice—something unusual
which no one else has in the same way." Fredrika Bremer
goes on to say that being calm—biding time—is often the
best and wisest thing to do, but that we seldom understand
this.
She states the following as a general rule: "You will
never reach the light without the firm intention of wanting
to admit that you do, even if in its brilliance you should see
yourself as still creeping on the earth like a caterpillar.
Only such a mental attitude will make you worthy to get
wings some day, to exchange that humble form for the
butterfly's, to raise yourself from the earth, and swing
yourself up into the world of light." This principle of modes­ty
was one of Fredrika Bremer's guiding maxims and,
though she reached the heights of fame, she never became
arrogant or overbearing toward others. Already when she
was in her thirties, she knew what mental attitude to take
in order to rise high in the world.
Another observation is quite revealing: "Many thinkers
light a flame for us, but it is not the sun, and a breeze can
blow it out." Fredrika Bremer supplemented her readings
with her own observations, and lit a bright torch for others
to follow, in the field of women's rights and elsewhere. More
and more admiration for Miss Bremer fills us as we see
the extent of her readings—these notebooks in Stockholm
11
show how she had conscientiously acquired a veritably
universal background by herself. She had also learned
English, French and German so well that she could fully
comprehend the prose of many leading authors writing
in these languages.
The original manuscript of the appendix to Homes of
t h e N e w World (Hemmen i d e n nya världen) is another
item in the Ehnemark Collection. Miss Bremer wrote it in
May, 1864, and it pertains to the American Civil War. In
addition, the library owns many of her letters to Per Böklin,
ranging from 1832 to 1865. It is fortunate indeed that so
many of Fredrika Bremer's personal papers have been
handed down in good condition. The handwriting is legible,
although the pages are somewhat yellowed with age. The
copybooks and letters give evidence of her literary, reli­gious,
historical, and philosophical inclinations. A fine ac­cumulation
of knowledge, her own experiences and ideas,
her depth of feeling and human sympathy enabled her to
write so well. These documents do not basically alter the
previous interpretations of Fredrika Bremer, but serve
rather to widen our personal understanding and apprecia­tion
of this Jane Austen of Sweden.
12